D. P. Krabbenhoft George Aiken Eduardo Patino D.G. Rumbold William H. Orem Brian A. Bergamaschi 2012 <p><span>The flux of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from mangrove swamps accounts for 10% of the global terrestrial flux of DOC to coastal oceans. Recent findings of high concentrations of mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in mangroves, in conjunction with the common co-occurrence of DOC and Hg species, have raised concerns that mercury fluxes may also be large. We used a novel approach to estimate export of DOC, Hg, and MeHg to coastal waters from a mangrove-dominated estuary in Everglades National Park (Florida, USA). Using in situ measurements of fluorescent dissolved organic matter as a proxy for DOC, filtered total Hg, and filtered MeHg, we estimated the DOC yield to be 180 (±12.6) g C m</span>^–2<span>&nbsp;yr</span>^–1<span>, which is in the range of previously reported values. Although Hg and MeHg yields from tidal mangrove swamps have not been previously measured, our estimated yields of Hg species (28 ± 4.5 μg total Hg m</span>^–2<span>&nbsp;yr</span>^–1<span>&nbsp;and 3.1 ± 0.4 μg methyl Hg m</span>^–2<span>&nbsp;yr</span>^–1<span>) were five times greater than is typically reported for terrestrial wetlands. These results indicate that in addition to the well documented contributions of DOC, tidally driven export from mangroves represents a significant potential source of Hg and MeHg to nearby coastal waters.</span></p> application/pdf 10.1021/es2029137 en American Chemical Society Tidally driven export of dissolved organic carbon, total mercury, and methylmercury from a mangrove-dominated estuary article